In a world where injustice and evil run rampant, every bit of kindness and goodwill matters.
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Main Story
General
- Despite the circumstances and still knowing people can betray him at the drop of a hat, Shen Qiao continues to be a kind person to those he meets. The only time he actually fights back is if he sees someone as a threat to himself, or society as a whole.
- Shen Qiao's bond with Shiwu, which almost mirrors Shen Qiao's relationship with Qi Fengge. Both have saved each other at the lowest point in their lives, and as Shen Qiao has nothing but fondness for the young boy, Shiwu highly looks up to Shen Qiao for showing him kindness and saving his life.
Birthday Banquet at Su Manor
- In contrast to almost everyone else looking down on Shen Qiao and even outright mocking him to his face at times, Puliuru Jian is the only guest who bothers to show courtesy towards Shen Qiao and even speaks in his defense when Li Qingyu calls Shen Qiao a disappointment and accuses him of being a degenerate. He even has enough tact to apologize after asking Shen Qiao about the difference between Kunye and Duan Wenyang's martial skill, assuming that any mention of Kunye might be a sore spot to Shen Qiao.
- Immediately after Shen Qiao drives Duan Wenyang away, Li Qingyu approaches Shen Qiao to sincerely apologize for his scathing comments earlier and to offer Shen Qiao lodging so he can be free of the rumors surrounding him and Yan Wushi. Although Shen Qiao ultimately turns Li Qingyu down politely, this marks the first instance where someone from an orthodox sect offers Shen Qiao assistance without any ulterior motives.
Bixia Sect
- While Shiwu is still deep in grief over his shixiong and shifu's deaths, he takes time to assure Shen Qiao that he doesn't blame him at all for what happened since the Hehuan Sect would've done the same thing even if Shen Qiao wasn't around.
- Shiwu doesn't hesitate to volunteer to go with Shen Qiao to the Coiling Dragon Conference. Shen Qiao ends up having to knock the boy out to keep him from following because he wants to keep Shiwu safe.
Refuge in Tuyuhun
- Despite knowing that Yan Wushi has made many dangerous enemies, Banna and her grandfather agree to provide food and shelter for Shen Qiao and him; Banna in particular stands by Shen Qiao even after she gets attacked by a disoriented Yan Wushi and her grandfather is taken hostage by Chen Gong.
- Even though their relationship at this point seems past the point of no return, Yu Ai is still able to recognize Shen Qiao just from his silhouette in the inn at Tuyuhun. His following comment of "you've gotten thinner", a phrase often spoken in Chinese households to express care and concern for a loved one, shows that he still cares deeply for his martial brother.
The Underground City of Ruoqiang
- When A-Yan and Shen Qiao talk about trust and forgiveness, and how Shen Qiao decides to continue believing in the best of people in spite of what Yan Wushi did to him, A-Yan gives Shen Qiao a sincere reassurance that his ability to stay true to his core is a rare strength that he possesses, something that Yan Wushi has yet to fully acknowledge at that point.A-Yan: No matter how good you are, he will always want to bring out that dark side in you. He doesn't understand that you are just you. There may be hundreds of thousands of Chen Gongs in this world, but there is only one Shen Qiao.
- Xie Ling taking over Yan Wushi's body before Yan Wushi could truly leave Shen Qiao for dead. While he tries his best to pretend to be Yan Wushi, Shen Qiao notices the minute details that allows him to figure out which personality is in control at the moment, much to Xie Ling's joy.
Heading to Weizhou
- Despite having every opportunity to throw him to the wolves and save his own hide, when Yan Wushi senses that the Hehuan Sect is going to catch up to them soon, he tells Shen Qiao what to do once the danger has passed, with every intention of hiding Shen Qiao away while he'll confront the others on his own. Even before he comes to fully realize the extent of his feelings for Shen Qiao or why Shen Qiao has become so special to him, Yan Wushi has already started to care for him enough to protect him from danger, and neither out of morbid curiosity nor because he had an ulterior motive in mind.
Sword Trial Conference
- Everyone that Shen Qiao has befriended or saved immediately stands between him and Hulugu when it's clear that Hulugu will stop at nothing to avenge Kunye's death by killing Shen Qiao. Shen Qiao ends up having to push them away so they don't become collateral, but it's touching to see the effects of Shen Qiao's kindness.
- Although Shen Qiao understandably refuses to take him seriously because of their past history, it doesn't downplay the sincerity in Yan Wushi's confession to Shen Qiao about how he feels differently about him now and how he's practically fallen head over heels for him, especially since it's the closest to an explicit statement of "I love you" that the reader will ever get from the man.Yan Wushi: A-Qiao, when you were in trouble, I rushed over from thousands of miles to rescue you. Isn't it enough to prove my regard for you? I know that you've been through a lot in the past because of me. But now I have changed my heart for you. This has been the truth for a long time; can you still not see it?Shen Qiao: I have never seen Yan-zongzhu's heart. How would I know that your heart has changed?Yan Wushi: [places Shen Qiao's hand over his own chest] If you don't believe me, you can dig it out and see for yourself. From now on, this is all yours.
Return to Xuandu Mountain
- After Shen Qiao goes through a torturous experience where he loses Yu Ai, realizes that Tan Yuanchun betrayed him and everyone else in Xuandu Mountain solely out of resentment and envy, and punishes his shixiong with a Fate Worse than Death as payment for his crimes, what lifts Shen Qiao's mood is the memories of Yan Wushi using Shan He Tong Bei to scale fish. And in the past, the same memory angered him to no end.
Battle at Banbu Peak
- Shen Qiao returning to the Huanyue Sect's estate and seeing that Yan Wushi has adopted a deer while he was gone, and named the deer "A-Qiao". The simple imagery of Yan Wushi being gentle and affectionate with a young animal shows that while he's not inherently a good person, there is a warm side to him nevertheless.
- Yan Wushi sincerely thanking Shen Qiao for saving him many times over in spite of everything he's done to him in the past. It shows how much he has come to treasure the kindness Shen Qiao showed him both then and now, and how he has come to appreciate Shen Qiao's selfless and resilient nature, which he now admires about Shen Qiao in contrast to how he looked down on him for it before.
- Even though the novel describes Shen Qiao as the only person Yan Wushi feels any affection for, it's obvious that Yan Wushi has a different kind of soft spot for his disciples, since he goes to the trouble of asking Shen Qiao to look after them in case anything happens to him. While he's established to be a Stern Teacher to both of them, he still takes the time to tell Shen Qiao why both Bian Yanmei and Yu Shengyan are the only ones he took in as his disciples. Coming from him, that already counts as some form of high praise.
- When Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi share a few cups of wine, Shen Qiao suddenly starts shedding tears as he expresses his worries about what would happen to Yan Wushi when he fights Hulugu, saying that he'd naturally worry about his friend taking on such a dangerous task. Yan Wushi asks him if he'd feel just as distressed if it had been anyone else in his place, to which Shen Qiao can't answer because Yan Wushi has become more than a friend to him, even though he has yet to come to terms with it. Yan Wushi pulls Shen Qiao in a tender embrace, touched by what's unspoken but already understood.Yan Wushi smiled, reaching up to smooth the hair on Shen Qiao's temples. "A-Qiao."Shen Qiao rubbed his forehead. "... Hm?"Yan Wushi, "A-Qiao."He buried his entire face into the hollow of Shen Qiao's neck, crumbling that name into pieces, to revolve a hundred, thousand times in his heart.
Novel Extras
- Although his reserved personality causes him to have trouble expressing his feelings, Shen Qiao still does his best to try and properly court Yan Wushi, already knowing at that point that he's fallen in love with the man.
- There's something precious about the way Yan Wushi just admires Shen Qiao in his sleep, playing with his eyelashes and cheeks in a nearly-childish manner that makes it obvious how he much he adores him now.
Chibi Mini-Theater
- On the day of the Huanyue Sect's twentieth anniversary, Shen Qiao tells Yan Wushi of the various gifts the other sects have given him, all of which he dismisses. Yan Wushi then asks Shen Qiao what his gift is, but Shen Qiao is hesitant to show it. Yan Wushi then forcefully takes the gift from his hands and sees that it's a portrait of him, to which he's actually flattered by.
